Sustain FI Question

[i_am_R2]

Hi Bantam1,

I just received my Sustain 2500 FI from TW and when giving it the handle spin, notice there is a "buzzing" sound on the retrieve like you can hear the gears or a bearing or something. Is this normal? My other Shimano spinners (Stradics, Stella) don't make this sound. Not sure if I need to send it back for another.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Gloomis34]

Also another question will there be a 1000 size coming soon for the sustain?

[DirtyD64]

Also another question will there be a 1000 size coming soon for the sustain?

I wondered about the 1000 size too. Aside of that though, how long have you used the reel??? My Stradic Ci4+FA made a few weird sounds out of the box, and now +3 years later and tons of fish later it is flawless.

[i_am_R2]

Thanks, I haven't used the reel yet, it is fresh out of the box. I was wondering if it just needed to be broken in a little and would go away with some use too but not sure if i should risk it.

[DirtyD64]

Thanks, I haven't used the reel yet, it is fresh out of the box. I was wondering if it just needed to be broken in a little and would go away with some use too but not sure if i should risk it.

If it was anything other than a Shimano, Daiwa, or Abu I wouldn't risk it... The fact that it is from TW though and that Shimano has amazing service should give you the confidence to put it to work for a while and see if it gets smoother. If it gets bad or worse, I would just send it to Shimano, they will treat you right.

I got ready to send in my old Ci4+FA and found out I left a screw loose on the bail after servicing, they were glad to offer help then. I used to think only Daiwa and Abu had great customer service, but now I am not sure if Shimano's isn't on par if not better from the way they spoke to me.

[ScoobyDoo]

The sustains i've felt for whatever reason weren't as buttery smooth like a nasci or stradic. No clue why. But 3 for 3 weren't like some others.

I took apart a brand new 5k the other day and noticed some black residue where the gear touches the pinion. And compared it to a ci4+ that was well worn....No black residue.....Sooooo who knows what that means......(the main gear in the sustain is a black hard coated gear so is the one in the ci4+

[Slazmo]

I took apart a brand new 5k the other day and noticed some black residue where the gear touches the pinion. And compared it to a ci4+ that was well worn....No black residue.....Sooooo who knows what that means......(the main gear in the sustain is a black hard coated gear so is the one in the ci4+

The fact that the main is Paladin coated (HA coated) its doubtful that the paladin* will wear off that quick and emulsify into the grease that quick - however black grease does indicate pressure and wear.

The fingered Certate i did with the defective gearset also had black residue within the thrown grease inboard of the main gears teeth. These teeth as you'd know are uncoated aluminium and brass and more susceptible to irregular wear to a being uncoated and machine cut bar stock rather than cold forged.

Something tells me that some of these reels manufactured are variable as you know - all built by individuals and all with different tollerances throughout - some reels are built too tightly with too much gear mesh which promotes gear wear too early in a reels life - sometimes it just eases into a nice wear pattern and it keeps going and some just go from bad to worse as I've seen in this Certate I got to break down.

Sucks when you've paid circa $600 & no-one wants to help with warranties and a new gear set will cost in excess of $100 on top of other costs.

Getting back to the OP - could be a metal cage in a ball bearing dragging inside and can quieten down in time. However i wouldn't hesitate to get it properly stripped and serviced (flush all the manufacturing metal filings / swarf out while your at it) as all the bearings and reel itself are greased and no oil exits in the reel from factory.

Plain and simply put good things in a brand new reel and watch it last.

[Bantam1]

Noises are hard to diagnose on a web forum. The cold forged gears tend to be a little louder due to the harder material. The factory also changed the grease in the spinning reels here and there for many reasons. In our repair department we tend to use different types of greases on different spinning reels to help reduce noise. With that being said I suggest fishing the reel and if you feel the noise is still not normal, send it in.

I doubt we will see a 1000 size offered in the new Sustain. The majority of Sustain reels seem to be used in the inshore market. 2500-5000 sizes being the most popular.

We have never charged for a replacement gear set in our spinning reels unless there were obvious signs of abuse or neglect. I wouldn't worry about "black residue" since the grease can darken and change from use, heat, gear wear, etc. The anodize process on the drive gear is mostly for surface hardness changes and corrosion resistance. The coloration is just a die added after the parts are anodized. There are plenty of videos on the internet that show how this is done.

[i_am_R2]

Thanks for the feedback and insight everyone, much appreciated! I will go ahead and give the reel a spin